Love and War
by Sincos.is.the.Bomb
Summary: Begins in the summer after "Snape's Worst Memory". Classic story of friends living and growing up in the shadow of an impending war. Their teenage squabbles and eventual fight against evil. JPxLE OC's -chapter 6 up and 7 on the way!
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings and Ends

**_Hey everybody! I know I'm a little late. I said two weeks max, and here I am two weeks and two days later. I'm sorry. My editor took his time, but it was not his fault for they, infact, did finish by the deadline I set, but _I_ on the other hand... was too lazy to post it. So once again, I'm sorry._**

**_This is the first chapter of my new story, since I bailed on my other one. The chapters in this story will be shorter, and hopefully faster. I have nearly forty pages written already, so I shouldn't have to worry about deadlines so much... just my laziness. Which happens to be great some days, so if you would please be patient, but encourage me, it would be greatly appreciated._**

**_So I hope you like it. I would love to hear what you think of it. Although i prefer good thoughts and constructive critizism, I do allow flames. Your opinion is yours, and i accept that and appreciate your thoughts. I also won't berate you if you just read and don't review. I'm not gonna be a review nazi anymore._**

**_Lol, that was rather long winded. I'm sorry. So here it is, and I hope you enjoy it!_**

_Beginnings and Ends_

"Lily, are you going to leave us again?" a sweet child's voice asked sadly.

A sixteen year-old loped gracefully over, scooped up the small five-year-old girl, and sat the girl on her knee as the child's twin sister stood next to them, looking up intently at the redheaded young woman.

Lily Evans, a muggle-born witch, had been informed five years previously that she had magical powers. Ever since, she had attended a special school, Hogwarts. She had, of course, been told of her abilities nearly a year prior to receiving her letter by a boy who became one of her best friends. However, she at first hadn't believe him.

Two years later, her next door neighbor gave birth to two beautiful twin girls, Sheila and Delilah Hopkins. Their mother, who had watched Lily for Mrs. Evans when she was little, employed Lily to watch over the twins while she and her husband were at work. Every summer, when Lily would return from Hogwarts, although everyone believed her to be off at a prestigious boarding school which was partially true, she would baby-sit the girls.

The Hopkins were the only ones in the neighborhood that approved of Lily besides her parents and the boy, Severus Snape. They all believed she was much too odd to be accepted in normal society, even though they didn't know her secret. Even her own sister, who used to be her best friend, despised her, but for other reasons besides the obvious.

Lily looked down at the two and chuckled. They were so alike, but so different. Both had cute curly blonde hair, pale skin, and striking blue eyes. They were the same height and shared features like their mother's button nose and their father's large feet. But Sheila was loud and obedient while Delilah was quiet and mischievous.

Sighing, Lily replied, "Yes, Sheila. The day after tomorrow, I shall be heading off to boarding school again," The girls looked downtrodden, "But don't worry. I'll come back soon for Christmas. I always do, don't I?" The twins seemed to brighten at this.

"I'm going to miss you!" Sheila cried.

"You'll write to us, won't you?" the other insisted.

"Of course I will!" the redhead promised, knowing she would have to send them via her mother. It had been the process last year, since the girls had learned to read.

"Hooray! Your school sounds so fun!" Sheila exclaimed.

"I hope _we_ can go there someday," the other added dreamily.

Lily laughed, but had a wary expression on her face, and her voice was reserved when she responded, "Perhaps one day," Although she knew that day would most likely never come unless a miracle happened. Presently, in the midst of the girls' joy, the front door swung open to admit a weary looking creature inside.

"Hello, Mrs. Hopkins," Lily greeted kindly as the twins rushed over to hug their mother.

"Hello, girls! Hello, Lily! Would you like some pizza? I called it in," the woman offered, setting down her things and plopping down onto the fluffy couch.

"Oh, no thank you. I think my sister is having Vernon over tonight, and I'm being forced to attend,"

"That whale?! Honestly Lily, I don't know what your sister sees in that boy,"

"He's fat!" Sheila cried, disgusted.

"And ugly," Delilah added.

"And mean!" they finished together. Lily laughed and Mrs. Hopkins couldn't help but grin a little.

"Now, now, girls, it's not polite to say things like that," she scolded, then muttered to herself, "No matter how true they are,"

"You look tuckered out, Mrs. Hopkins. How about I take the girls over to the playground for a bit?" Lily offered as the woman yawned.

"Yes, that sounds good, Lily. Thank you,"

"I'll be sure to have them back before the pizzas arrive!" she called as the twins dragged her out the door.

Being at the playground brought back many fond and some not-so-fond memories. This was where she and Petunia used to laugh and play on days like these. It was where she first did magic without knowing it. It was where she met the boy who explained to her what she was, although she didn't really believe him until she got her letter. She had lost her best friend here, and gained another. Lily sometimes felt guilty about what she was. Her sister hated her for it, and there were people in the magical world who didn't exactly love her for being muggle-born.

Up until this summer, Lily and Severus would come here during the summer to talk and finish up their summer homework. She wondered where he was now, and what he was doing. Lily hoped he wasn't stuck at home with his arguing parents, but some part of her knew that he probably wasn't. He was probably off somewhere with his Death Eater pals. A fact that made Lily feel sick and wish that he really was home.

She sat there on her favorite swing, filled with so many memories, watching the girls run and play. Suddenly she was pulled from her reverie by a soft tap on her shoulder. Lily spun around, nearly toppling off her swing, to come face-to-face with none other that Severus Snape himself; seeing him there caused Lily to scream and fall backwards to the ground. As the greasy-haired boy went to help her up, Sheila called, "Hey Lily! Are you alright?"

Lily smiled reassuringly at them as she took the boy's hand, "I'm fine, just lost my balance, that's all," the girls shrugged and went back their play, and Lily stood up to look Severus in the eye menacingly, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk… to apologize,"

"I thought we went over this already, Sev. I can't keep making excuses for you, and we should go our separate ways. Remember?"

"Yeah, but, Lily, I'm not happy that way, and don't you pretend for one second that you are because I know you're not. I can see it in your eyes,"

Lily sighed, "Of course I'm not happy with it, Sev, but it's the way things have to be,"

"No, Lily, we can… agree to disagree!"

"Severus… I'm sorry, but I just can't ignore the things you and your so-called friends are doing!"

"Lily," he pleaded.

"No, Sev… I'm sorry," she replied sadly, "Come on girls, time to go home now," the boy watched sadly as the three girls stalked off down the lane.

"What was that all about, Lily?" Delilah asked.

"Nothing, D'," Lily assured, using her pet name for the girl, "Just a reunion between two old friends,"

"He looked really upset," Sheila commented.

"I think he likes you," Delilah said frankly.

"Girls!" the redhead laughed, "You two are so _nosy_! Not to mention your incredibly wild imaginations," The three talked and laughed all the way home.

Later that evening, Lily was setting the table in preparation for dinner with Vernon, and listening to her sister drone on and on about how perfect he was with the occasional snipe at her to not mess things up for her or she would never speak to her again.

'Yeah, 'cause you do a whole lot of that anyway,' the redhead thought resolutely, sighing to herself.

"What are you over there huffing about?" Petunia snapped.

"Nothing, Tuney,"

Lily's mother sent her an understanding smile. Petunia's monologue was cut short by the loud ringing of the doorbell. As the dark- haired girl ran over to allow her boyfriend entrance, the redhead muttered exasperatedly to her mother, "I swear, we need to have that doorbell disconnected whenever he comes over… I'm going deaf!"

Marigold smiled, but pointed out, "Then he'd have to knock, and I'm not sure we can afford a new door right now,"

Lily sighed dejectedly as Vernon entered with her father and sister trailing behind. There wasn't enough room in the doorway for anyone to pass the whale. She had to stifle a laugh as everyone took their seats (she was sure she heard Vernon's chair whine under the stress).

Dinner dragged by with the conversation centering mainly on Vernon and purposely leaving out Lily. She didn't mind much, though. She was afraid that if she did speak she would say something rude. Lily and Vernon had met before, and, though neither had said it, the two greatly disliked each other. The girl had tried to be kind for her sister's sake, but her attempts went unnoticed, so Lily contentedly gave up. The silence suited her because, apart from being able to inwardly laugh at Vernon's piety unnoticed, she was able to fantasize about Hogwarts and the magical world. So naturally, Lily was extremely shocked when the whale addressed her.

"What? I'm sorry; my head was in the clouds,"

"Vernon asked you where you planned on going to college, Lils," her father supplied with a meaningful gaze.

"Oh! Um… I haven't decided yet. I'm still sending in applications," she feigned, avoiding Petunia's glare. Vernon grunted and continued droning on about himself.

Lily was grateful when dinner was over. She quietly excused herself to her room after finishing the dishes. She had no desire to sit and listen to more of Vernon's self-righteous chatter over coffee. The girls hated coffee anyway. After making sure the front door had closed behind the large boy, Lily allowed herself to drift off to sleep, dreaming happily of Hogwarts and the trip to Diagon Alley she would set off on tomorrow morning to acquire her school supplies.

Lily woke up late for the last time that summer, and immediately got ready to go to London. She gave her parents a wave and a kiss on her way out to her car, which she was finally allowed to drive. The girl cheerfully drove herself into the city and parked in front of a general store. It was a mile or so away from the Leaky Cauldron, but it was also the closest free parking lot. So Lily walked the last ten minutes through the busy streets of London. She finally spotted the pub, invisible to muggles, and walked straight out the back door with a smile and a wave towards the barman, Tom.

Once in the back alley, she touched her wand to the bricks, watching the marketplace unfold magically in front of her. Even after five years, Lily was still in awe of the place. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she set off immediately to the farthest shops, planning to work her way back. Lily hadn't expected many wizards or witches to be there this early, but was proven otherwise. Magical folk clamored about the displays in small droves, but droves nonetheless.

Consulting her list, Lily purchased two new textbook, some potion ingredients, and a new set of robes because hers were becoming quite small and shabby. She had finished all of her necessary shopping just in time for lunch, so she stepped into the pub for a quick bite, planning to browse a bit more before heading home. However, the sight that met her eyes upon entering the pub was not quite what she had expected. Two pairs of eyes looked up from their mugs as Lily approached.

"Well, hello ladies," she greeted, smiling.

"Hey! Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful," a stormy- eyed, black-haired boy retorted, grinning.

"Lily! What a pleasant surprise!" a girl with russet skin, blue eyes, and silky jet black hair exclaimed joyfully, with a bit of a Scottish accent.

"So, what? Did you two come here together?" Lily inquired, puzzled.

"Nah, James is grabbing some gold from Gringotts, so I decided to wait in here, but imagine my surprise when I walk in to find this doll sitting here all alone. Well, you know me; I couldn't just let her sit there. Of course I had to come bug her a bit!" Sirius explained smirking.

Lily rolled her eyes, "So Potter's here, eh?"

"Yup, and if you're that desperate to see him, he should be waltzing in any minute now. In fact, for a moment there, we thought you were him,"

"I was actually just on my way home, thanks," she lied, preparing to leave.

"But Lily, you can't go yet! You only just got here!" the dark-haired girl cried.

"Actually, Alecia, I got here a while ago,"

"Well, yeah, but I haven't seen you all summer! You can come help me shop!"

"…Oh fine!" the redhead groaned, giving into her friend's puppy-dog face.

"Yay!" the two dark-haired children exclaimed together.

"What are _you_ cheering about, Black?"

"I get to spend the day shopping with my two best girlfriends!" Sirius cried mocking a high- pitched girly voice.

"I said he could come shopping with me," Alecia explained sheepishly in response to Lily's questioning glare, "I wasn't expecting to see you,"

The redhead sighed, "As long as Potter stays away, I suppose," The other two exchanged a quick glance before resting their eyes on a figure standing just behind the girl.

"So it_ is_ true," Sirius muttered inaudibly, "_Speak of the devil, and he doth appear_,"

"Ouch! That hurts, Evans," said a tall, messy-haired boy, causing Lily to spin around, flinging her purchases in surprise, and almost falling over. The boy graciously caught her by the arm and steadied her as he continued, "But, fortunately, I'm willing to let you make it up to me. Say, over dinner perhaps?"

Lily yanked her arm out of the smirking boy's grip and spat, "Keep dreaming, Potter,"

"That, I shall,"

"Evans, Wiggins, and I were just about to head off to do some shopping. Care to join, James, old buddy, old pal? Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh? Do ya, do ya, do ya?" Sirius questioned, playfully punching James in the arm a few times as Lily paled considerably.

"Sure, thanks mate. I'm just the reason you're here right now. Why wouldn't I need an invitation to join you?" James said sardonically, still grinning.

The black-haired boy stood smiling, and led the group outside. Lily grabbed Alecia and slowed her pace to let the boys get a ways ahead before whispering, "Since when are you friends with the _Marauders_?"

"Lils, I've never hated them like you and Vivi,"

"I know, but you didn't exactly love them either,"

I don't know, Lils. He just walked up and started talking. I wasn't going to be rude,"

"Hey!" called Sirius from up ahead. Lily hadn't noticed that they had stopped walking altogether.

"Are you two, coming or what?" James asked.

"Sorry, guys! We were just pausing to-," Alecia began explaining as the two jogged to catch up, but was cut off by the boy.

"No need to explain, ladies. I know how fabulous my arse is, but if you could keep the staring to a minimum, please. We wouldn't want poor Jamsie here getting jealous, now would we?" Lily scoffed, Alecia giggled, and James shoved a smirking Sirius, going a bit pink around the ears.

A few hours later, after the others had bought all of their necessities, the boys decided to head over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, but Lily had insisted that she and Alecia wait for them at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. She hadn't sat down in almost six hours. Her feet and arms were threatening to fall off.

"So how's your summer been, Lily?" Alecia questioned, scooping a bit of her sundae onto her spoon.

"It's been alright. As well as can be expected, I suppose,"

"Ah… Snape and Petunia?"

"Yeah, but I've got my parents and the Hopkins,"

"Mm, your muggle friends, right?" Lily nodded.

"What happened between you and Snape, anyway?" the girl asked idly.

"We just… fell apart," the redhead said to her ice cream bowl, "So, on a lighter subject, where's Mack? Doesn't he usually come with you?"

Alecia smiled at the mention of her older brother, who was one of her best friends. He was entering his 7th year at Hogwarts, only a year older than the girls. Both Alecia and Mack were very quiet and contemplative. The only difference was that Alecia was probably a bit immature at times, while Mack was, if anything, too mature. The two siblings didn't look much alike, though. Where Alecia had a delicate figure, copper skin, long, silky black hair, bottomless blue eyes, and was a bit more on the short side of tall, Macawlee was incredibly tall and muscular with an inky hide, coarse, closely- shaven hair, and warm, chocolate brown eyes.

The reason for the visible contrast between the two was their parents, who were nothing alike. Their mother, Sherry Ayden Dunbar (a loving, pureblood, black, Scotswoman) married Myran Tyler Wiggins (a selfish, white, muggle, Englishman). When their father found out about their magical abilities, 7 years ago, he promptly packed his things and left without a backwards glance, and they hadn't heard from him since.

It had stung the family for a while, but they seemed have moved on for the most part. Mack, however, had always felt guilty about his father's disappearance; no matter how many times his mother and sister insisted that he was not at fault. Since Myran's departure, Mack had stepped up to become the man of the house; feeling that he needed to make up for the absence that he believed was his fault.

"Oh, he already finished all of his shopping last week. He offered to bring me along then, but I was feeling downright lazy. I wouldn't have come today if he and Mam hadn't literally shoved me in the floo!" Alecia giggled sheepishly.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an all too familiar voice calling them excitedly.

"Ladies! Look who we picked up admiring the store's supply of Keeper's gloves!"

The girls turned in their seats to see what the boys were so worked up about. They gasped audibly when they saw James and Sirius dragging a reluctant, disheveled looking girl behind them, kicking and screaming the whole way.

"VIVI!" they exclaimed together, running over to meet their friend. The two boys just watched silently, smirking as the scene unfurled in front of them in the middle of the alley, having let go of the now quiet girl.

"Oh, wow! I didn't expect to see _you_ two here!" the mousy-haired girl said in surprise, "All I know is that one second I'm looking for a new pair of gloves, and the next I'm being dragged down the street by these buffoons!" She indicated the two boys, who bowed mockingly.

Once the girls quit jumping and squealing, courtesy of the Marauders, Alecia asked curiously, "Are you here alone?"

Vivi's face fell a little, "No, mum insisted on coming, and she dragged Meg along," The two girls adorned looks of sympathy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's Meg?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"She's my sister…,"

"Not _the_ Megrez Selwyn from Slytherin who graduated last year?"

The girl scoffed and muttered, "Dropped out is more like it,"

"She was hot…," the boy said reminiscently, "Good kisser, too. Much too vain, though."

"You kissed a Slytherin? I knew you were a bit of a whore, but seriously?" James questioned.

Vivi guffawed loudly, clutching her stomach. She recovered, wiping her eyes, as Sirius asked incredulously, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing at all,"

"Oh, do you have random laughing outbursts for no apparent reason often, then? You know I hear that's one of the signs that someone has vanishing sickness," James feigned concern.

She glared at James and opened her mouth to retort when a loud echoing voice blasted through the alley, causing everyone to cover their ears in desperation.

"VENDEMIATRIX DNOCES SELWYN! Come Here this _Instant_!"

Vivi groaned as Sirius took his turn guffawing, "V-_Vendemiatrix_? No _wonder_ you stick to 'Vivi'!"

The girl socked him in the jaw before running off in the direction of the voice, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see you guys on the train!"

James chuckled at his friend's expression, earning him a punch in the arm.

Lily consulted her watch, "I think I need to move on home now, too. I'll see you guys tomorrow,"

"But it's only three- thirty," Sirius stated, clearly puzzled.

"You know, Black, I have more important things to do than stand here chatting with you, contrary to _your _belief,"

"Oooooh," James jeered, "Disssss,"

"Oh sod off, Prongs," James mocked offense.

"You know, boys, I think I'd better be off, too," Alecia resigned.

"Oh, I see how it is," the stormy-eyed boy said, crossing his arms, "Looks like it's just you and me, mate,"

"Actually, Sirius, We should probably get home, too. We still need to pack, and you know what a nightmare that is," James said, guiltily.

"Everyone's against me today. It's a conspiracy, isn't it?!" Sirius huffed dramatically. The three rolled their eyes.

"Well you can stay if you want to. No one is making you leave," Alecia pointed out.

"Actually, Jamsie- poo is. He's my new landlord, the sucker," James rolled his eyes at his friend and swatted away the hand that was ruffling his already messy hair.

"Devil charges a fortune, too. It's a wonder I don't starve," Sirius added, smirking.

"Oh stuff it, Padfoot," James retorted, punching the boy lightly in the arm, "We don't charge you, and my mum feeds you,"

"And what delicious food it is, too!"

"You're living with Potter? When did this happen?" Lily asked, shocked.

"Uh… about a month and a half ago, would you say, James?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right,"

"Wow… why?" Alecia inquired.

"Eh, just got tired of home, you know?"

"No, I don't. I couldn't ever imagine leaving my home… my family,"

Sirius scoffed and muttered inaudibly, "Ha, allow me to introduce you to my mum,"

Lily returned home and made sure that everything was ready for her to leave in the morning before hitting the hay early. She knew that she would hate herself in the morning if she didn't.

_**I promise it gets better! Please bear with me. I was never very good at beginnings, but I will have more posted soon and you opinion counts!**_

**_So until next time!_**

**_Hasta luego!_**


	2. Chapter 2: The Train Ride

_**Okay guys! I'm back, and on time, this time! YAY! Soo... I got one review last time- rather dissapointing, but oh well. :D **__**Thnx to:**_

_**XThorn1070X- thnx for the review and I have 43 pages already written, it's just a matter of editing and posting :)**_

**_Thnx to my editor and one of my best friends who edits my stories for me even tho they hold little interest for him- BetaBamboo!_**

_**This is chapter two. I hope you enjoy!**_

The Train Ride Part 1

_RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!!_

Lily rolled over and smacked her alarm clock to shut it up before checking the time.

9:00 a.m.

She groaned and rolled out of bed and dragged herself to the bathroom for a shower. She got dressed and trudged into the kitchen following the smell of cinnamon wafting through the house. Her mother had gotten up to make her a special breakfast; her last meal with the family for several months.

"Okay, Lily, remember it takes us thirty minutes to get to London with good traffic, so I'm planning to leave 15 minutes early. So be ready in 30 minutes,"

"Yes, sir,"

"I'm going to miss you, Lils,"

"Me too, Dad,"

"You're going to miss yourself? That's one I haven't heard before, but alright," he teased.

Lily laughed, "You know what I mean,"

"Yeah, Lils. Now hurry up and finish getting ready. You don't want to show up at King's Cross looking like you just got up,"

"But I did just get up,"

Mr. Evans rolled his eyes playfully, and shooed her off.

She spent the next 20 minutes brushing her teeth, pulling out her jewelry, applying her make-up, and tucking the things she used into her trunk. She sat looking in the mirror, trying to decide what to do with her hair.

Lily figured that she was nothing too special. She was about 5'4" with a typical feminine hourglass figure. Her favorite feature was her hair. It was a fiery red that clashed beautifully with her emerald green eyes. She didn't know many other redheads, so it made her feel special. Other than that, she felt rather ordinary.

She had no idea what to do with her hair, so she grabbed a brush to begin experimenting, but her hand had no sooner touched the brush than her door flew violently open, slamming into her wall.

She spun on her heel, ready to dart for her wand, when she caught sight of two semi- innocent seven-year-old-girls.

"My gosh! What are you girls doing here? I didn't think I'd see you again until Christmas!"

"We came to surprise you and tell you good-bye," Sheila supplied. Her sister nodded, grinning.

"Oh, well I'm very glad you did, but I have to leave in a few minutes, and I can't decide what to do with my hair,"

She saw a familiar glint enter Delilah's eyes as she turned and whispered in her sister's ear, transmitting the spark.

"What are you whispering about over there?"

"Lily, do you trust us?"

"Well, sure,"

"Close your eyes,"

"Why?"

"You said you trusted us,"

"I do…,"

"Then sit down and close your eyes,"

Lily watched them suspiciously for a moment, but followed their orders. She felt the twins working through her hair and pulling it at odd angles, but never once peeked; partially because she was a bit scared to see the outcome. Finally, after good five or six minutes, the girls spoke, "Okay, open your eyes,"

Reluctantly, Lily obliged. What she saw quite frankly horrified her, but she didn't let it show, for fear of upsetting the girls.

They had pulled her hair into two ponytails that poked out at different angles from the sides, and sprinkled little butterfly clips all on top of her hair. She turned her head to see a wonky braid protruding from the back. But the icing on the cake was a black, fuzzy headband with a large, white, silk lily on top perched lightly on her head.

"So, do you like it?"

"I… I love it girls. Thank you," she turned to hug them each, secretly hoping she would be able to find Alecia or Vivi, who were whizzes with hair, before too many people saw her.

"Lily, come on, hurry up now! We don't want you to miss the train!" her mother's voice echoed up the stairs.

The girls said their last good-byes as they walked down the stairs. Lily tossed her trunk in the back and slid in next to Petunia, who spent the next 30 minutes either griping or staring pointedly out the window. Everyone was relieved when the car finally pulled up in the parking lot of King's Cross.

"Goodbye, Lilyrose. I want letters at _least_ once a month!" her mother demanded.

"See ya, kiddo. Don't worry about things here. I'll make sure your mother is still in one piece when you get back. You just take care of yourself and focus on your schoolwork. And if you happen to start getting fantasies about a boy, let me know his name. I just got a new automatic rifle that I'm dying to try out," Mr. Evans said with a wink.

Lily turned nervously to face Petunia, "Well… goodbye, Tuney,"

"Good riddance. Please don't worry about coming home for Christmas this year. I'm sure we'll manage without you, _somehow_," the hateful girl spat.

Sighing, Lily gave her parents one last hug before rushing headlong through the barrier into platform 9 ¾. She headed right for the luggage car to put her trunk away so that she could hurry and find her friends. Lily heard a snicker and turned to see a girl grinning at something just above her head. She looked up, but saw nothing unusual. She looked back down but the girl had already disappeared. The redhead shrugged it off and strolled onto the train to find a compartment.

"Whoa, Evans! What happened to your hair?"

Confused, Lily spun to face a smirking Sirius Black.

"What are you talking about, Black?"

"What? Haven't looked in a mirror lately? Here,"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old-fashioned looking mirror. She gasped and realized what the girl at the luggage car had been sniggering about. She'd forgotten she'd let the twins do her hair. Immediately, she pulled the headband out and stalked off down the corridor, ignoring Sirius still guffawing and calling behind her.

"Nice look, Evans! The lily headband suits you!" he jeered.

Agitated, she barged into a compartment, where she finally found Alecia sitting next to her brother. Both looked up, startled.

"Whoa, Lils. What-?"

"Don't ask, just fix it please,"

Lily plopped down in the floor in front of Alecia, who immediately began to remedy the situation, while Mack just went back to his book. She was just about to pull her hair into a messy bun when a rather disheveled figure burst in and plopped down in the seat by the door, fuming.

"What's up, Vivi?" Alecia asked casually, continuing to work.

"Oi, it's been another day in the life of Vivi Selwyn, that's all. I just want to skip the next few hours and sink into my soft bed at Hogwarts," she groaned.

"What happened?" Lily asked, concerned, as Alecia finished.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Just my family, you know? I caught Meg smoking a dobbin out back before I took a shower this morning. I thought she had quit since the Bulstrodes backed out on the betrothal… Anyway, then I get to the station and who do I meet other than the Marauders? They're getting good use out of my name. Yeah, it's been fun so far,"

"I'm sorry, Vivi,"

"Don't be. I've had worse days. So what happened to you, Lily? Slytherins?"

"No!" the redhead protested, "My neighbor's twin daughters happened,"

"Oh…,"

"Well, Ally, now that you have some company, I'm going to go try to find Cara and the others," Mack announced, speaking for the first time since Lily had arrived and using his nickname for his sister.

"Alright, Mack. I'll see you later. Tell Cara I said hello,"

"Will do. Bye, ladies," he addressed the other two.

"See you, Mack,"

He exited the compartment, leaving the girls to catch up.

"So, other than today, how was your summer, Vivi?" Alecia asked curiously.

"What's this I heard about the Bulstrodes?" Lily inquired.

"Ah yes… Meg was promised to that toad son of the Bulstrodes, but they found out about her… 'problem', and backed out. Of course, word travels fast in pure-blood society, and now Meg's chances of marrying someone in England are slim to none. So Mum and Dad dragged us off to Greece for a 'family vacation'," she used air quotes,

"But of course, it's really because she had arranged for Meg to meet with a prominent, pure-blood, Greek family. It kind of fits her, you know. She looks Greek… olive skin, dark hair, brown eyes. I don't know if they liked her though.

"So as far as I know, no wedding is being planned. I don't think she even got asked back for a second visit! Mum's going to be furious if she ruined her chances in Greece, as well. She's already made it very difficult to marry me off in England, not that I mind, but Mum is not happy about that,"

"Oh wow…," Alecia gaped.

"Eh… It's not really that big of a deal to me. I don't care. The fact that she's screwing up her own life isn't my problem. She's actually helping me in a way. If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be married by now," the compartment door opened to reveal three very unwelcome figures.

"Did you hear that boys? Poor Selwyn's sister is ruing her life," the very familiar face of Regulus Black drawled, flanked by two other Slytherin boys from the 'Death Eater Gang'.

"Must run in the family," a boy named Avery jibed.

"Yeah, a remedial and a blood traitor all in one family. The Flints must regret marrying their daughter off to that softy, Selwyn," Mulciber added, but the girls seemed to be trying to ignore them. Vivi was clenching and unclenching her fists in an effort to keep calm.

"I wouldn't get too close now, boys. You might get infected with Selwyn- Syndrome," Regulus persisted, sneering.

"Beat it, pipsqueak," Lily ordered, "And take your bumbling bodyguards with you,"

"Did that mudblood just_ dare_ to address me?"

"Yes, I believe she did," Avery confirmed.

"What? Are you stupid _and_ deaf?" Alecia asked sweetly.

"How _dare_ you! Filthy Half- Breed!" the black- haired boy went to pull out his wand, as did his cronies, but they hadn't even begun to utter a curse before they were blown to the floor in a flash of blinding light, knocked out cold. Lily turned to stare in awe at Vivi who was now standing with her wand outstretched, looking dumbstruck.

"Whoa, Vivi…,"

"Th-that wasn't me," she confessed, "I just used the basic jinx on Black,"

"Oh, but don't we all know how much you'd love to use it on the other one, too," Alecia grinned.

"Aw, that's not nice, Wiggins," pouted the voice of Sirius Black, walking into view followed by a smirking James, "Surely Selwyn would have a better spell for me that that; a hex at least. I mean, I do try to make sure to save some of the best pranks for her,"

Vivi glared at him, hatred ebbing out every pore. It was true. She was the most pranked person in the school next to the Slytherins, and often-times she was the unwilling test subject for Slytherin pranks. Lily used to always figure out how to fix her up, then go and help Severus, when they were still friends.

"Go away, idiots,"

"Now is that anyway to treat your saviors?" James questioned.

"Yes, now beat it before we add you to the heap," Lily spat.

"Aw, Evans, I thought we were past this stage," he groaned, a hint of a grin playing on the corner of his lips, "Hadn't we moved on to 'tension and insults'?"

"Where's Remus?" Alecia inquired, attempting to be nonchalant and ease the stress at the same time.

"In our compartment with Peter, sleeping. Poor kid had to get sick right before school starts," Sirius replied, with a controlled expression.

"Oh, well maybe I should go see him. Maybe I can help," Lily offered.

"No!" the two boys exclaimed, causing curious looks to be directed their way.

"He's fine. We've got it under control," James insisted.

"Not if you're here, so bugger off!" Vivi said irritably.

Sirius looked thoughtful, "Nah, I'd rather stay here and admire our experimental spell work. Who knew that _Orchidius_ and _Stupefy _combined with your basic jinx would give you this?" He nudged his brother none too gently with his foot, smirking. The three Slytherins were now beginning to sprout flowers from random body parts. (**A/N-** Get your mind out of the gutter!)

"I think that would make some great prank material," James observed, "Don't you agree, Padfoot?"

"Definitely,"

"Wait a second. Lily, aren't you supposed to be in the Prefect's carriage?" Alecia realized.

"Oh my gosh! You're _right_! Thank you, Ally, thank you!" the redhead cried, dashing out of the compartment, scolding herself for being so forgetful.

"_Gosh_?" Sirius questioned incredulously.

"Should we go wake Remus?" James asked, ignoring his friend's insignificant query.

"Sure, but g-_gosh_? What in the name of Merlin's hat is a 'gosh'?"

"Never mind, Sirius. You wait here. I'll go get Remus,"

* * *

**_Thnx for reading! I hope you liked! Tell me in a review if you wish!_**

**_The next chapter should be out in the next week or two! :)_**

**_3_**

**_Sincos_**


	3. Chapter 3: Hogwarts Arrival

_**Okay, I lied... I decided to be generous today so here is Chapter 3! I promised you it gets better! I haven't given you a cliffy yet, so be happy, but i promise there will be some later!**_

**_Yeah, this chapter was supposed to be a 'Part 2', but i didn't think it fit, so disregard the whole 'Part 1' thing. Oops /_**

_**I posted this one in the same day, so there was no time to recieve any reviews, but i will post thanks to any reviews i get after this!**_

_**Once again, tons of thanks to my ediotor- BetaBamboo- who worked ahead so that i could post this for you guys today! Give him lots of love!**_

_**So, for the second time today, Enjoy!**_

* * *

**Hogwarts Arrival**

Lily burst into the prefect's carriage, panting, "S-… so sorry… I'm late… forgot… sorry,"

The heads all turned to watch her as the Head Girl, Emmeline Vance from Ravenclaw, chided, "Well, finally a Gryffindor prefect has decided to join us. Do you happen to know where Remus Lupin might be?"

"No, sorry," she replied, inwardly hoping that the boys would have the brains to go and wake the other prefect.

"Very well, then. Have a seat," she sighed.

"Alright, as I was saying," the Head boy, Davey Gudgeon of Hufflepuff, began again, "Prefects, if you find yourself unable to take your turn patrolling, you are to notify your partner and one of us. We will find you a replacement,"

"However," Emmeline added, "Only the most consequential excuses will be accepted. In other words, if you are ill, have suffered a great loss, have permission from a staff member-,"

The list would probably have gone on and on if, at that moment, Remus Lupin had not come bounding into the room looking rather frazzled.

"Sorry I'm late! I fell asleep," he exclaimed rather wearily. He was not looking well at all.

"Thank you for finally joining us, Mr. Lupin," said the Head Girl rather sharply, most obviously annoyed.

"Anyway," Davey continued, as Remus sat down in the only remaining empty seat across from Lily, "I am about to give each of you a number, one through twelve. You are to pair up with the other with your number for patrols. No complaints or trades will be acceptable,"

The two Heads then walked around telling everyone their numbers. Lily got number four, and Remus got number eleven. His partner was Alice Prewett, a shy Hufflepuff fifth year, while Lily was paired with Antonin Dolohov, a boorish Slytherin seventh year.

"Okay then, one through six, you'll be patrolling until the sweets trolley finishes serving everyone, which should be around three- thirty," Davey explained.

"Then you'll switch off with seven through twelve," Emmeline added.

"Everyone got that? Remember, three- thirty is the switch off,"

"Any questions? No? Then meeting adjourned!"

Lily groaned and skulked over to Antonin, smiling weakly at Remus as he sent her a sympathetic look on the way out.

"So, Dolohov, I reckon we should start in the first carriage and work our way back. D'you agree?" He grunted, and she took that for an affirmative.

"Alright, I have to take care of something first, so I'll meet you there, okay?" He grunted again, so Lily exited the carriage.

She ran all the way back to her compartment and was surprised to see the two pests and their tag-along sitting and chatting comfortably with Alecia. Vivi, however, appeared incredibly unhappy with the seating arrangements. Sirius lounged in the seat next to her, Peter beside him. Across from Vivi was Alecia with James next to her. Alecia, Sirius, and James all looked rather at ease. Only Vivi and Peter were uncomfortable with the situation.

"Hey Lils! How was the meeting?" Alecia asked brightly.

"Uh… the usual; going over everything for the new guys, giving out passwords and patrols… Oh my gosh!" she replied, donning a horrified expression.

"There it is again!" Sirius exclaimed irritably, "What the hippogriff is a '_gosh'_?!" Of course, everyone ignored him.

"What is it, Lily?" asked a voice behind her.

She spun around, coming face to face with Remus Lupin who had just arrived looking, if possible, even more fatigued than before.

"Oh, hi Remus," she greeted, "I just realized that we forgot to ask for the Gryffindor password!"

"Oh, no problem," he waved his hand, passing it off, "I asked Davey on my way out. It's '_Valia Daunte'_," Lily looked relieved.

"Whoa, Davey _Gudgeon_, who nearly lost an eye a few years back at the Whomping Willow?" Vivi asked curiously.

"The very same,"

"Wow, Scarface is Head boy,"

"Don't call him that, Vivi!" Alecia cried indignantly. So Vivi and Alecia continued to argue over Davey's nickname while the others ignored them.

"You'd better get going, Lils," Remus advised, "You know how Dolohov gets…,"

"What?!" James exclaimed, "You're patrolling with _Dolohov_?!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Yes, Potter,"

"No! You can't go with a Slytherin!"

"I really don't have time for this, Potter!" she groaned, leaving before he could say anything else.

The girl ran all the way to the front of the train where Dolohov was waiting impatiently for her. With all this running, she was going to be in shape before the week was out.

"Alright! Sorry about that. Ready to begin?" she prattled on, skidding to a halt. Of course, he grunted, so Lily took that as her cue to begin patrolling.

They walked up and down the train for about four hours. It was silent most of the time. Antonin seemed to be a man of few words. Lily was grateful when they reached the back of the train for the tenth time, and Dolohov paused at a compartment, clearly full of Slytherins. He sent her an 'I'm – leaving - and – you - can't – stop – me' glare before marching inside.

"Okay, then," she muttered to herself.

Lily practically skipped back down to her compartment, feeling relieved to be free of Dolohov's presence. She was thankful that he was only her partner for the next month. She could manage that long. Although he was practically mute, Antonin had an air of hostility about him… like he would turn on her at the first excuse.

The redhead pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she pulled open the compartment door. Everything appeared to be the same as she had left it, except that Remus was now sleeping in the last available seat by the window.

"Hey there, Lilylove!" James exclaimed.

"E-excuse me?" she responded, stunned.

"I said hello," he replied, clearly worrying about Lily's mental well- being.

"No, no, no, where did… never mind. I don't want to know," Lily concluded, rubbing her temples.

"Done patrolling, then?" Vivi asked jovially, "Is it Lupin's turn?"

"Oh… should we wake up Remus, then?" Alecia inquired, looking reluctant. Lily looked at Remus for a moment.

"No, let him sleep…,"

"But where will you sit, Evans?" Peter asked.

"I'm free, Lily," James offered, waggling his eyebrows.

Lily ignored him and looked around the compartment with an expression of disgust. There were truly no more seats. She wished that she could sit in another compartment and bring Vivi, so that they wouldn't have to be near the idiots, but she wouldn't abandon Alecia like that.

"Shove it, Potter,"

"Don't worry about it, Evans," Sirius assured, "I'll wake Remus up,"

"No! He looks exhausted. Let him sleep,"

"Oh, Evans, don't be such a ninny," he pressed, "Remus is a big boy. He can handle a bit of drowsiness. Besides, he's been out for practically the past twenty-four hours. It's about time for him to wake up and smell the roses,"

"I don't know, Black," Lily tried to protest, but the enthusiastic boy had already reached over and punched the slumbering blond.

"Sirius!" Alecia scolded, "I don't think that was really necessary!"

He gave her an 'and-just-how-many-times-have-you-tried-to-wake-him-up' look as Remus jumped up in a daze.

"Wha-?! What happened?!" he cried, "Is everyone alright?!"

"Having a bad dream, Remus old mate?" James inquired, watching the formerly- sleeping boy carefully.

"What? Oh, oh yeah… horrible," he feigned, "Sorry about that,"

"It's not a problem, Remus," Lily consoled.

"Evans said she's done patrolling," Peter filled in timidly.

"Which means it's your turn, mate," Sirius finished, grinning.

"Oh, thank you," he sighed, ruffling his hair in a very James- like fashion.

"You don't have to go, Remus," the redhead offered, "I can go find Alice and help her,"

James looked rather crestfallen, because if she had stayed, she would have had the seat next to him. Remus, however, shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous, Lily," he yawned, "I'll go," James beamed.

"If you're sure…,"

"I'm sure. I'll see you guys at the castle. Save me a seat," Remus requested before shutting the compartment door. Lily continued to stand.

"Oh, come on Evans," James taunted, "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

"Revolted is more like it," she muttered, plopping reluctantly into the seat, and proceeding to stare out of the window.

James ignored her blatant aversion, "So how was dear old Dolohov?"

"He was great. He said to tell you hello," the redhead said sarcastically.

"Ah, great chap, Antonin," he mused, going along with her story.

"What?!" Peter exclaimed, looking anxiously shocked, "You hate Dolohov!"

"Petey," Sirius said in a fatherly way, "In the past five years that we have been friends, have you not yet learned the meaning of _sarcasm_?" The mousy boy blushed.

"Would you trade with me, Potter?" Vivi demanded more than asked, catching Lily's martyred gaze.

"Am I really that bad? I did shower this morning," the stormy- eyed boy questioned, putting on a martyred face.

"Well Black, you _do_ smell like a wet dog, but that's not the point," Sirius looked affronted.

"Sorry, Selwyn, it's not happening," James said with a note of finality.

Finally, the train pulled to a halt in from of Hogsmeade Station. Lily happily left the compartment to go hold the doors for the students coming off the train. She hopped one of the last remaining carriages that stayed behind for the Prefects, and slid over next to Remus who seemed a bit more alert than earlier.

"Hey, Remus. How was patrol?" she asked cordially.

"Alright. I had a bit of a scuffle with a fifth year Slytherin, but all's well that ends well," he replied, equally as polite.

"Ah… so how was your summer?" she questioned.

"Oh… um, alright I suppose,"

"You don't sound so sure,"

"Well, I got quite sick a few times. In fact I'm still recovering from the last time, but I'm alright. Just tired," he laughed.

"So basically you're ready to keel over right now?"

"Something like that,"

"Well, the feast will be over before too long, and then you're dormitory free!" she chuckled, stepping out of the carriage and entering the castle, grinning. Remus followed her, but stumbled a bit as they approached the Entrance Hall.

"Hey there, Remus. You sure you're going to be fine for the feast?" Lily inquired worriedly.

"I'm fine. I promise. I just tripped," he reassured, waving his hand airily. Unfortunately, when he waved, he also revealed a long, deep slash though his palm.

Lily gasped, "Remus, what _happened_?!"

Remus looked confused, but followed her gaze to his hand. He lifted his hand to examine it, "Hm… I'm not sure. Oh well…,"

"_Oh well_?" the redhead demanded, heating up, "Remus, this is serious! How did this happen? You need medical attention!"

"I'm fine, Lily. I promise. I'm a quick healer… trust me. By the end of tomorrow, you won't even know it was there," he sighed, exasperatedly, clearly thinking of his wolfish tendency to quick healing. Being a werewolf did have its perks… however few and far between.

Ignoring him, she took his hand and examined it, running her fingers gently along the outline of the gash as they walked into the Hall, attracting much attention, especially from a few certain Gryffindors. James glared at Remus with such hatred that it seemed tangible.

The sandy-haired boy caught his friend's gaze and immediately began trying to tug his hand away from Lily's.

"Remus, quick healer or not, this is _not_ going to heal by tomorrow. You _need_ medical attention," she insisted, ignorant to the stares.

"Forget it, Lily. I'll be fine," he murmured, taking his place with his friends, across from James, who was still glaring at him jealously.

Lily huffed and walked down a bit farther to where her friends were seated and plopped down in the seat they had graciously saved for her.

"What was all that about?" asked Vivi curiously.

"What was all what about?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"You holding Remus' hand!" Alecia exclaimed incensed.

"What? Oh! It wasn't like that! Honestly, I would have thought you would know better," the girl replied, "Remus just had a cut on his hand and he refused to seek medical attention, no matter what I told him,"

"Oh…I hope the boys understand that," Alecia muttered.

"What do you mean?" Lily quieried, befuddled once more.

However, Alecia never got the chance to explain, because just then the first years had begun filing in, all of them looking anxious.

'I'll explain later,' the girl mouthed as the sorting hat came to life and began to sing.

_**30 Minutes Later…**_

"Well, now that we are all sorted and hungry," Professor Dumbledore began as the last student took his place, "I have a few words to say. However I believe they can wait until we have feasted. Enjoy!"

Shouts of glee and surprise went up as the tables filled themselves with food. The girls filled their plates happily, seeming to have forgotten about their previous conversation.

"Oi! Wiggins! Pass the potatoes, will you?" Sirius cried from halfway down the table.

"No!" retorted Vivi.

"I was asking Wiggins, Selwyn!" Sirius exclaimed, but James stuck with a simple, "Why not?"

"Because a, you still have food in your mouth, b, you are being very rude and shouting, rather than just coming down here to us and asking, and c, I don't like you!"

"Well those aren't very good reasons," Peter muttered.

"Excuse me, students, but if you are done shouting, the rest of us would like to eat in peace," Dumbledore said pointedly, calling a halt to their argument. Lily and Alecia turned red, but Vivi just looked triumphant.

Not long afterwards, the food disappeared and Dumbledore got to his feet again.

"The time has come for me to speak yet again. I know that you are all tired and stuffed, but if you would please lend me your ears for just a few moments time. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Yambi, has courteously joined us from his home in Morocco, and I'm sure you will all do your best to make him feel welcome. Also, the usual announcements about forbidden items such as love potions and fanged Frisbees, the full list is, as always, posted on Mr. Filch's door. To newcomers, the Forbidden Forest is, as the name implies, forbidden. Some of our older students would do well to remember that as well," The Marauders grinned as he continued,

"As most of you may already know, a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort is on the rise," the members of the Hall that _were_ aware flinched at the name, "For this reason, security precautions around the school have been strengthened. Even so, you would do well to keep on your guard until this tyrant is captured. Now, I do believe it is time for you all to head to your nice warm beds. Good night! Prefects, please lead the first years up to the dormitories at this time,"

Lily stood up immediately, as did Remus, and began organizing the first years into a line.

"Alright, please form a single file line!" she called, "No, you there with the red hair and freckles! Please do not shove! All ready then? This way!"

Remus was already out the door with his group of first years, clearly not bothering with making them line up. Lily suppressed a grimace. She caught up with him at the Tower and quickly explained the portrait and password to the students.

"This is the portrait of the Fat Lady. She guards our tower from other houses. If you do not have the password, you are not allowed entrance. You must wait until someone with the password arrives to lend you a hand. However, if you know the password, you are not allowed to help anyone who is not a Gryffindor into the tower," she explained.

"So what's the password then?" asked a bold little first year girl.

"Oh yes! Sorry," she turned to the Fat Lady and said, "_Valia Daunte_,"

"Welcome back, Lily. Greetings, first years!" she hailed warmly, swinging her portrait open to allow the entrance.

"This is the common room where you will spend much of you spare time to do homework and socialize with other Gryffindors. The dormitories are up the stairs. Boys are on the left, girls on the right. The first years are the first two rooms, second years, the next two, and so on. Girls are allowed in the boys' dormitory, but boys are not allowed in the girls' dormitory. The stairs will become a slide if one tries. So please don't. Don't worry about your trunks and belongings. They are already in your dorms, next to your beds. Any questions?"

The bold girl raised her hand again, "Do you always talk this much?"

Lily's eyes narrowed slightly, but ignored the question, "Well, if that is all, good night," With that, Lily turned on her heel and headed up the stairs to her dorm where Alecia, Alice, and Mary were already changing. Alice Prewett and Mary McDonald shared the dorm with them, and although they were friendly to Lily and her friends, they had never exactly been very close to them.

"Hello, Lily. Good summer?" inquired Alice, pulling on her nightgown.

"It was alright, thank you. And yours?"

"Wonderful, thank you,"

Lily made her way over to Alecia and asked, "Where's Vivi?"

* * *

_**Like it? I hope so! Oh... that thing i said about cliffies? Yeah... well here's your first cliffy! Congrats! This times I really mean that it will be a week or two before i post... just to give you some time to stew over this. -insert evil laugh here-**_

**_lol jk- its so i can give my hard-working editor some time off before working on the fourth chappy._**

**_Anyway, review if you want. If you don't, s'ok too. They just make me feel better... like bunnies or a fuzzy sweater :D_**

**_okay enough of that..._**

**_3_**

**_Sincos_**


	4. Chapter 4: Trouble On Day One

__

**Okay, I know I promised this chapter like two weeks ago, but things have been a little hectic round here lately. I've had my birthday, homecoming, Halloween, Science Fair, and lots and lots of other homework... In fact, i'm supposed to be doing my homework right now, because there's a buttload and it's due tomorrow, but I'm being a good person and posting. So say "Thank You!"**

**I'm seriously sorry about the wait, though. I know how irritating it can get waiting on chapters. I clearly don't have time to list you all by name, but thank you to all of my reveiwers for being wonderful readers with wonderful feedback and all you other people who bothered to stop by and read my story!**

**So without further ado, Chapter 3!**

* * *

Previously

_Lily made her way over to Alecia and asked, "Where's Vivi?"_

__

**_Trouble On Day One_**

"She uh… ran into a bit of… trouble with the Marauders."

"What?! And you just left her there?!"

"Lily, she's perfectly capable of handling the situation herself. Besides, I didn't really want to get in the middle of her trip jinx."

"She's _hexing_ them?! Merlin, Alecia! Where are they?"

"Calm down, Lily. They're in the fourth floor corridor."

Groaning, Lily snatched up her wand and darted back out of the dormitory and down towards the fourth floor corridor. As she turned the corner to enter the hallway, she saw a burst of light erupt from a grinning James' wand, miss Vivi by inches, and soar in her direction.

She was hit in the chest by the stinging hex, and cried out in shock and pain. The three others occupying the hall turned to look at Lily. James had a horrified expression on his face.

"James Charles Potter! What the _hell_ have you done to her?!" Vivi exclaimed, rounding on the boy. Her hair was a vivid rainbow, due to a spell shot at her earlier.

"I-- uh," he stammered, unable to form words. His limbs were significantly lengthened thanks to Vivi's stretching jinx.

"Calm down, Selwyn. It was just a stinging hex," Sirius said lazily, flicking his wand in Lily's direction, removing the effects of the spell. He had large, pus-filled boils growing all over.

"Just a _stinging_ hex?! Potter I'm going to _murder_ you!"

"Vivi!" Lily shouted, appearing at her side, "I'm fine, but I suggest that I get you back to Gryffindor tower before someone finds us,"

"Alright, just let me finish these two off first."

"Viv, they aren't worth it. Come on!"

"Aren't worth what, Evans?" came the voice of Emmeline Vance, coming around the corner.

"Oh! Nothing, Vance. Just a small quarrel, but it's all resolved now," Lily smiled innocently.

"Is it now? Just a quarrel you say? I must say that this is the first quarrel I've seen that produced these results," she drawled, eyeing Vivi's hair and Sirius' boils.

"Well, you see…"

"That's enough, Evans. I understand completely. However, I would have thought that you would have more tact, Lily. I may have to speak to Professor McGonagall about your badge. Detention this Friday for all of you."

"But, Emmeline!"

"I said that's enough, Evans! Good night!"

Lily rounded on the boys and Vivi, who were glaring at Emmeline's retreating back.

"Look at what you did! You three may have cost me my badge! I hope you're all happy," she snarled, before turning round and marching off to Gryffindor Tower.

"So how'd it go? Where's Vivi?" Alecia asked from her bed as Lily entered the dorm.

"I don't want to talk about it. Good night, Alecia," the redhead grumbled, pulling out her nightgown and slipping into bed, not waiting to see if Vivi came in.

She awoke early the next morning, dressed quietly, and headed down to breakfast alone. The only people already there were two Ravenclaw seventh years, a Hufflepuff fifth year, and a Slytherin sixth year… Severus Snape.

He looked up as she entered, and upon registering who it was watched her longingly as she sat down at her table. She spotted him, but quickly looked away and ignored him until she was finally awarded a distraction. Remus had come trudging down the stairs, dragging Peter.

"Good morning, Lily."

"Good morning, Remus," she replied cordially, "You didn't see the nurse did you?"

"Um, I was rather hoping you'd forgotten about that," he muttered.

"I'll take that as a no," she said, keeping her eyes on the piece of toast that she was buttering, "Where were you last night when Potter and Black were double-teaming Vivi?"

"Oh, um..." he mumbled guiltily.

"You know I love you like a brother Remus, but I can't stand it when you just let your friends get away with things like that!" the redhead exclaimed, finally looking up at the boy.

"I know…"

"Well then why don't you do anything about it?"

"They're my friends, Lily," he sighed.

"Exactly! And you make yourself look bad when you let them get away with things. People view it as favoritism."

"Lily, you don't understand."

"Of course I do, Remus. You're scared that if you tell your friends to stop, then they won't want to hang around you anymore. Trust me," she paused, "if they do, then they aren't your friends anyway. If they abandon you, then you know they were just using you as a way around the rules."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any better."

"Remus, I'm not saying they will. They probably won't. They're too loyal for that. That's the one thing I have to give you guys props for, you're all very loyal to each other."

Peter choked on a piece of toast, but Lily pointed her wand at him and muttered, "_Anapneo,_" before continuing.

"And even if they do desert you, you'll still have me, Remus."

He smiled weakly, "Thanks, Lils."

"You're welcome. So now, what are you going to do when they start misbehaving again?"

"Tell them to stop..."

"'Give them a detention' was the answer I was looking for, but I suppose that's a start."

The Hall had slowly begun filling up as they talked, bringing in Mary, Alice, and Frank. Eventually, Sirius, James, Vivi, and Alecia trudged in as well. As soon as the hall was full, Professor McGonagall bustled about, handing out schedules.

"Ugh, we have potions first thing today… and with the Slytherins! Minnie must hate us," Sirius groaned, as Lily just continued eating. She didn't particularly love potions, but she was good at it.

Vivi, on the other hand, was a complete klutz. That didn't serve her well in Potions class, or earn her points with the Professor either, who happened to adore Lily.

"I suppose you'll love that, eh, Evans?" James chided, "You'll even get to see Snivelly!"

"Potter if you value your fingers, you'll stop talking about things you know nothing about," she snapped.

"Edgy much, Evans?" Sirius taunted. She just glared at him.

"When's your free period, James?" Peter asked.

"Uh… right after lunch."

"Hey! Me too!" the stormy-eyed boy exclaimed. Lily and Vivi groaned.

"What about you, Mooney?" the boy asked.

"The last class of the day." Everyone groaned now, except for Peter, who paled.

"When's yours, Petey?"

"Last class, too."

"Huh, I suppose Minnie thought it best to separate us," Sirius pondered.

"Unfortunately, she paired the wrong two together," Alecia said, grinning.

"I just call that poor planning on their part… which shall eventually constitute an emergency on their part as well," James said airily, ruffling his hair.

"Hey, Lils, you want to go ahead and head off to Potions? I need some help reviewing," Vivi asked, pointedly. Lily accepted and they were off. Several pairs of eyes watched them as they left with longing gazes.

"So did you really need help or were you just trying to get away?" Lily inquired, smiling.

"Both," Vivi replied, as they took their seats.

Lily pulled out her book and notes from last year, and the two studied as the class slowly began filling up.

She looked up to check the board for any indication of our lesson today, but did so just as Severus Snape entered. They made eye contact very briefly before Lily ripped her gaze back to the book, trying to forget the sad, longing look in her ex-friend's eyes.

It hurt her to see him that way, but she knew it was what had to be. Her eyes began welling up with pain and grief. She looked up to try to keep them from overflowing. Unfortunately, James Potter, his cronies, and Alecia entered at that very moment. She had the worst luck.

James caught sight of her and immediately became worried.

"Lily, are you alright?" he asked concernedly, moving to her side. Severus, now sitting alone at a desk across the room, looked away, pained. Vivi, who had been completely unaware of the brief exchanges before now, looked over at her friend with concern.

Lily jerked her head in James direction and retorted, "Yes. I am perfectly fine, and even if I wasn't, Potter, you would be the last person I would tell. Now bugger off."

James looked abashed, but joined Sirius at a desk without a word.

"Lily?" Vivi questioned.

"I'm fine, Viv… I promise," the redhead responded, thinking she sounded a lot like Remus the previous night. She caught Alecia's and Remus' worried gazes, and sent them a reassuring smile.

"Ah… sixth year," mused the voice of Professor Slughorn as he sidled into the room, "What a wondrous age to be, sixteen. Only one more year after this and you'll be off into the world to do great things."

Lily watched him drone on and contemplated sleeping through the lesson, but resisted the urge. She didn't want to appear as bad as the Potter gang. Just as she had made this stubborn decision, Sirius Black raised his hand lazily.

"Um, professor? Are we going to be doing anything of consequence at all in this class today? Or did I just waste a perfectly good opportunity to skip?" he asked seriously. The girls in the class giggled, save a certain few.

"Mr. Black, I do not appreciate your antics. Please--"

"Oh, they're no antics, sir. I'm honestly curious," The rest of the class was now grinning. Besides those few, of course.

"Black, whatever you are trying to do, I would advise--"

"I'm not trying to do anything, Professor. I'm an innocent little angel." Black put on his most angelic face… which wasn't saying much. He always looked guilty. The girls swooned, while the boys held back hysterics. The Slytherins, though, were as unhappy as the Professor.

"Detention, Black! Friday night!"

"But, Professor? I already have detention that night," The boys let loose their guffaws.

Slughorn looked slightly shocked, but then seemed to think that he should've expected it because his face turned serious once more, "Well then I'm sure I can arrange something with Professor McGonagall."

"Sir, I'm not sure that's going to be possible either," he commented seriously.

"And just why not, Black?"

"Because, as it is, dear Minnie has dates scheduled with Dumbly-britches for every night this week, and in between those, she's going to be filling the minds of innocent children, such as myself, with the wonderful gift of knowledge. So I'm afraid that any negotiation with her will be impossible until say… July of next year."

"We'll see about that," Slughorn muttered, moving around his desk and pulling out a sheet of parchment and quill.

He quickly scrawled a message, sealed the roll, and handed Sirius the parchment saying, "Take this to Professor McGonagall straightaway."

"Yes sir, Sluggy! I'll try, but I'm sure she's going to have far more important things to do than to consort with a lowly messenger boy."

Professor Slughorn turned a vivid shade of red, and Black took that as his cue to stroll out of the room, smirking. Clearly Slughorn had not realized that he had just given Sirius exactly what he wanted; a ticket out of class. Sure, it came at the expense of probably a weeks worth of detentions, but what were detentions to him anymore? Especially when James would find a way to get himself placed with him.

"As I was saying," he began, but was cut short by the ringing of the bell. Lily gathered up her things and quickly made her way out of the classroom and on to her next class, transfiguration. Sirius was already there, clearly having a conversation with an irate Professor McGonagall and looking completely at ease.

As the class progressed, James managed to get himself landed in detention for at least two weeks, and in the classes that followed, he quickly worked his way up to Sirius. In the common room that night, Lily heard the two boys arguing over their detention records.

"I just scored two weeks worth of detentions in one class period! I _clearly_ win!" Sirius exclaimed.

"But you remember that time in third year? I got at _least_ three and a half weeks worth out of divination!" James retorted.

"That's not true! It was more like _a_ week! If that!"

"Remus!" the bespectacled boy cried causing the sandy haired boy to jump, "Didn't I earn like three weeks worth of detentions out of divination in third year?!"

The sandy-haired boy stumbled over his words as the boys waited expectantly. Annoyed, Lily gathered up her things and headed upstairs to bed.

By Friday, Lily was up to her ears in homework in preparation for the N.E.W.T.'s. That, coupled with the stress of her first ever detention coming up, caused the girl to become increasingly irritable as the week went on.

"Is it someone's time of the month?" teased a rather unwise Sirius Black, ignoring the dark look he received from Remus.

"I'll show you time of the month," Vivi murmured inaudibly, flipping a page of her magazine. Lily sent the boy a glower that clearly illustrated that she was wondering how many ways she could manipulate Sirius' hair that would make him cry like a baby. The boy's hands shot up to cover his hair protectively.

"Well, it's almost 8:00… I suppose we should head on down to visit dear old Filch," suggested James, checking his watch as he stretched and yawned. Lily slammed her head down on the table dejectedly.

"Ow…" mumbled Peter, watching her and cringing.

"Lily, I would hate for you to damage that wonderful brain of yours. It would mean I wouldn't be able to copy your History notes," Alecia said lightly. The carrot top looked up and sent her friend an agitated stare.

"James is right. You four should head down before Filch and McGonagall come looking for you," Remus admitted, looking up from his book.

"You _had_ to say that, didn't you?" growled Vivi, slamming down her magazine, "You know it makes it official to have _you_ say it."

"Hey! What about me?" the bespectacled boy protested.

"_You_ fail at life…"

Mumbling and grumbling, the four begrudgingly made their way down to Filch's office for their detentions. The man stepped out of the room to meet them, looking rather crestfallen that they were indeed on time.

"Oh, you're here, eh? Alright then… I'll be splitting you up into two groups," he began. The four looked hopeful.

"Potter and Black--"

"YES!" they shouted together.

"EH! Wait, wait! I was about to say that only an idiot would put you two together," he amended, causing the boys' expressions to fall slightly, "So I'm partnering Potter with Evans," Lily groaned while James beamed, "and Black with Slewyn," both aforementioned children groaned this time.

"Come with me and I'll be showing you your tasks for the night."

Lily and James were assigned trophy room duty. Due to the fact that they were in groups, not only were made to clean every single trophy Hogwarts ever earned, but also to make the rest of the room spotless.

"Are you serious!?" James whispered indignantly.

"Nope!" the stormy-eyed boy replied, "I am!" the three sent him looks of annoyance.

Sirius and Vivi were given latrine duty. They were told to clean every bathroom on the first and second floors, including Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"Are you kidding me?" Vivi whined as Filch walked away. Sirius had turned a sickly shade of green.

"Myrtle's… bathroom?" he sputtered.

"What's your problem?" the girl taunted, "Not afraid of ghosts, are you?"

* * *

**_So how was it? Worth the wait? Probably not.... I mean it was like... a MONTH! Sorry... but I may post again soon because Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm going to have some vacation time. Maybe... no promises. But i sure hope so becuase I love posting as much as you love reading!_**

**_So now I have to go finish my homework! And you have to tell me what you thought! Well, not HAVE to.... but I would like it if you would. It would make my day better! Which is something I need with this much homework to do ugh -dies-_**

**_Thank You My Lovely Readers!_**

**_And of course, my fantabulous editor who goes by many names- without you, this would not be possible 3-lotsalove-_**

**_3 Sincos_**


	5. Chapter 5: Detention

_**Hello my dear readers! Here is the chapter I promised! I would like you all to thank the wonderful b3lla who reviewed every chapter so far and gave me the initiative to continue writing. Otherwise you would have been waiting yet another week.**_

**_-lotsalovetob3lla-_**

**_I edited this chapter myself in a hurry, so if there are any mistakes- I apologize. I was in a rush to get this chapter up before the week was out as I promised b3lla. And technically I succeeded! I still have....4 hours & 30 minutes left in the week :D_**

**_So without further ado- Chapter 5! -applause-_**

_**

* * *

**_

_**Just to refresh your memory…**_

"_Myrtle's… bathroom?" Sirius sputtered._

"_What's your problem?" Vivi taunted, "Not afraid of ghosts, are you?"_

_**Detention**_

"Ha-ha, very funny. If I was afraid of ghosts I'd have dropped out like that one kid in our first year and gone to Durmstrang,"

"Then what's your issue?"

"Let's just say Myrtle died before she had her first crush…,"

Vivi burst into hysterical laughter, "Myrtle…. Likes… _You_?! Oh, Merlin! That's too good!!"

"Are you trying to imply something, Selwyn? I will have you know that I'm an incredibly desirable bachelor. I can't help it that I have good looks!"

"Desired by who?! Those vapid, shallow bitches whose biggest worry is whether their clothes are tight enough and whether their pumpkin juice has too many calories?? Yes, you're doing well, Mr. Black." Sirius looked ready to hex her.

"Now you look here, Selwyn, just because that prat from Ravenclaw, Matthew Whitley, doesn't know you exist is no reason to be jealous. I can't help it that you're uglier than a Troll," he sneered.

"And what mighty majestic creature are you then? A unicorn?"

"A Hippogriff of course!"

"Pah! Which end?" she muttered.

"What was that, Selwyn?"

"Nothing! So which bathroom are we doing first?" she questioned after finally bringing her mad chuckling down to a soft snicker. Sirius just sent her a contemptuous glare.

Meanwhile, down in the trophy room, James and Lily were reluctantly scrubbing. Lily had decided to do the trophies and their cases, while James tidied up the rest of the room.

"I cannot believe I'm standing here, first weekend of term, cleaning trophies in _detention_!" she ranted. James just rolled his eyes and continued working.

"If you and Black could just grow up a bit! This would've never happened! You-,"

"Evans? Did you ever take the time to wonder what actually happened that night?" he inquired, not looking up from his scrubbing of a particularly stubborn stain on the floor.

"Well, it was rather obvious, wasn't it? You and Black couldn't resist picking on my friends, and Vivi, fiery as she is, was the easiest target, because then you could always blame it on her,"

Sighing, James stood and turned to face her, "That's part of your problem, Evans. I thought you were supposed to be smart. If you would've thought about it, you would've realized that I, fancying you as I do, would not have started, nor participated in a conflict involving one of your friends without provocation. That would be silly of me, because it would surely cause me to go down substantially in your favor,"

Lily looked stunned, "I didn't know you knew such big words,"

The boy appeared exasperated, "It comes from hanging around Remus too much, but that's not my point,"

"Your point is that it isn't your fault,"

"Yes,"

"A typical answer from a big-headed prat like yourself,"

James groaned and swept his hair in frustration.

"_Stop_! Doing that! It's so _aggravating_! I hate it when you do that,"

"What?"

"Run your hand through your hair like that!"

"This?" he repeated the gesture, smirking now.

"Yes! Stop it!"

"I didn't know you paid such close attention to me, Evans,"

"I don't! It's just that when we're arguing, like this, you do it all the time, and it's infuriating!"

"Hm… I believe I recall you mentioning it at the end of last year… along with how you would rather go out with the giant squid…,"

"It's true. My hate for you is unfathomable,"

"It was when we were messing with Sniv- Snape. I haven't seen you around him much. Any trouble?" he inquired hopefully, ignoring her comment.

"How-? Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's none of your business, Potter,"

"Au contraire, it is one-hundred percent my business if my love is hanging around my enemy,"

"Well you can stuff that bull one-hundred percent up your arse,"

"That doesn't sound too comfortable…,"

"My point exactly… now get back to work! I have homework to finish,"

James obliged and muttered to himself, "You can avoid the subject for now, Evans…,"

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

The pair approached Moaning Myrtles bathroom just as the clock struck eleven. They had agreed to leave her bathroom for last. Taking a deep breath, the two bravely plunged into the depths of crypt.

Myrtle, who had been moaning a little song to herself, looked up abruptly as the two walked in. Upon registering who was entering, she dashed into one toilet and out another, letting loose a long, mournful screech.

Covering her ears, Vivi turned to look incredulously at Sirius, who shrugged. Myrtle darted out of the cubicle and came to a sudden halt less than an inch from the boy's nose.

"_You_!" she cried, poking her finger into his chest, where his heart was located, causing his blood to feel as if it were freezing.

"Hey there, Myrtle," he sputtered, shivering, "Long time, no see, eh?"

"Why would I want to see _you_, Black? _You,_ who broke my heart!"

"Um… Myrtle? You don't have a heart." The ghost of the girl let loose another mournful howl.

"Just because I'm dead doesn't mean I don't have _feelings_! It's _you_ who's heartless! Soul as black as your name!" she moaned. Vivi covered her mouth, and tried to disguise her snickers as coughs. The two other occupants turned to face her with expressions of equal annoyance.

"Who are _you_?" demanded Myrtle.

"Vivi Selwyn," the girl replied, attempting to keep a straight face.

"Or Vendemiatrix depending on who you ask…," the boy teased quietly.

"What are you doing here?" the ghost asked as if she had not heard.

"I'm here to finish up my detention with this bozo," she said as she gestured to Sirius, who looked indignant.

"Detention, eh? A likely story," she whined, "You're just here to help him make fun of me some more, aren't you?! _Aren't You_?! I'll bet you're his new girlfriend! Well, let me give you a little tip! He doesn't care about anyone but himself!!" Both teens looked rather offended.

"I'm _not, _nor shall I _ever_ go out with this sorry excuse for a human being." Sirius looked even more insulted.

"That's what they all say… Now Get OUT!!" she screamed. The two obliged happily, scurrying out the door as fast as their legs would allow under the burden of the cleaning supplies.

"I thought you said she liked you," Vivi questioned, once they were a good distance away from the bathroom.

"She did…,"

"But…?"

"I may have… um… _implied_ that I… wouldn't go out with her even if she _was_ alive," he confessed.

"Implied?"

"Or explicated…,"

"You know words like that? I don't even know what that means…,"

"Copy Remus' essays for six years,"

"Of course,"

They reached Filch's office, handed back their supplies in exchange for their wands, which he begrudgingly gave up.

"Shall we go check up on the other two?" Sirius suggested, as they walked out of the office.

"I would rather not be a witness to a murder…,"

"Agreed,"

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

"EEEK!" Lily screamed, backing away from the trophy she had previously been cleaning.

She tripped over a bucket and went tumbling backwards, tossing her rag into the air. She landed rather awkwardly with her foot in the bucket, rag on her head, and hands slipping on the freshly mopped floor as she tried to sit herself up.

"Lily!" James cried, rushing over to her, and pulling her up, "What's wrong?"

"S-sp-spider!" she shrieked. James visibly relaxed, picked up the trophy, and pulled out the squirming arachnid. Ignoring Lily's squeals, he walked over to the window and let the poor creature out.

"D-don't you come near me!" the girl exclaimed, throwing out her hands as James began to move back over to her, "I'll-I'll hex you! I swear I will!"

"With what?" he chuckled moving closer.

"I-I'm warning you!"

James laughed, but ignored her request.

"James Charles Potter! If you take one more step, you'll regret it!" she cried, he was almost upon her now.

"Will I?" he asked, smirking.

"Potter!" He ignored her, but came to a halt less than an inch from her.

He watched her eyes to gauge her reaction. Still smirking, he lifted his hand slowly up to eye level. Lily watched it nervously. Still eyeing her, James reached up and pulled the rag from upon her head. The girl looked fearful. Wordlessly he handed it to her. She took it, still inspecting his face for any sign of foul play.

"Thank you…," she struggled, "Now if you would please move, I need to finish cleaning…,"

"As you wish…," he drawled, taking a large step back and bowing.

"You are such an idiot, Potter," she said, coming back to her proper senses, and moving over to the abandoned trophy.

"But I'm your idiot," he countered, going back to his dusting.

"You wish you were…,"

James just laughed and continued to clean.

**LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLalaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa**

"So how was detention?" asked Alecia at breakfast the next morning. Actually it was lunch, but for the other two girls, it was breakfast.

"Merlin… can we please not bring that up until I've finished eating?" Lily pleaded.

"That bad, eh? What about you, Vivi?"

The girl snickered as she picked at her eggs, "I found out something rather funny,"

"Aye?"

"Yeah… Moaning Myrtle hates Sirius Black-,"

"She hates everyone…,"

"No, no, no… she hates him the most,"

"Why?"

"Apparently he was her first major crush and he, tactless as he is, decided to let her know that he wouldn't go out with her even if she _was_ alive,"

"Oh my!

"Yeah, so we go in there to clean the bathroom, and she comes down on him like a ton of bricks! It was rather amusing to watch, but of course she noticed me laughing and assumed that I was going out with him. So she gives me this lecture on how evil he is, like I don't already know it, before yelling at us to get out,"

"At least you didn't have to clean her bathroom, then,"

"So what was so horrible about cleaning the trophy room? Black and I almost came down to check on you guys, but we decided we'd rather not be witnesses in a murder trial,"

"It almost happened, too," Lily muttered.

"Really? What'd he do this time?"

"He kept trying to read more into my avoiding Sev than there is. Then I found a spider in one of the trophies. He took care of it and then decided that it would be a good idea to come near me. Clearly he's never met anyone afraid of spiders before…,"

"That's not so bad…," Alecia admitted.

"We're talking about James Potter. Of course it's so bad,"

Vivi and Alecia glanced at each other, smirking.

"Well, you know what I think?" the dark-haired girl asked.

"Nope," Vivi replied frankly.

"I think you're both in denial,"

"Denial? How do you figure that?"

"Well, you seemed to have a good enough time with Sirius last night, and we all know it's only a matter of time before Lily gives in to James,"

"So you're saying that we like those two?" the blonde clarified skeptically.

"Aye,"

"You've fallen off your rocker, there Al',"

"I told you you're in denial,"

"Well, if I didn't deny it, then I'd be lying!"

"Whatever you say…,"

Vivi and Lily exchanged doubtful looks.

* * *

**_I know, I know. It was short. But I had to cut it off there or continue it for ages.... Which i can't do because then that gives me less time to write- even though I'm like 50 pages ahead of this point..._**

**_I would like to address the issue of reviews. I know I promised not to be a review nazi, and I plan to honor that promise, but I'm not getting many reviews and frankly- it's depressing. I love reviews as much as you love my updates. However, your reviews give me some initiative to write, and if I don't write, I don't post. So it's bad all around if reviews are not sent. Like the economy today- things just slow down._**

**_Anyway, enough of that! Thanks for reading! Tell me your thoughts, please! I love to hear everyone's opinion. I promise, I'm not easily offended!_**

**_-lotsalove- Sincos_**


	6. Chapter 6: Don't Speak Too Soon

_**Hello again my wonderful readers! I updated quicker this time! YAY! Thanks to the more reviews I received. It wasn't a lot more, but they were enough to get me motivated, so danke! **_

_**Once again, this chapter has not been edited by my lovely editor, so any mistakes are my fault and you may feel free to point them out. I love constructive critism!**_

_**This chapter is pretty laid-back, no major drama. It's all about everyday life in the school. You might've noticed the lack of pranks by the Marauders? Yeah- it comes into play. -insertdevioussnickerhere-**_

_**So, enough of that! Enjoy the story and tell me your thoughts, please!**_

* * *

Don't Speak Too Soon

The month continued without much interest or chaos, which surprised Lily. Usually the Marauders had pulled at least three pranks in the first month. She figured they were just overloaded with homework as well.

Lily was beginning to relax, thinking Remus had finally spoken to them. So she was somewhat confused when she encountered a rubber ducky in the middle of the corridor on her way to Charms.

She picked up the toy and slipped it into her bag, intending to hand it in to the lost and found. It probably belonged to some first year, and she would hate for them to lose it.

She walked into Charms, set her bag down and pulled out quill, wand, and parchment. She didn't notice the evil glint in the boys' eyes as she took her seat next to Alecia. Vivi was sitting right in front of her next to Matthew Whitley, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain she rather fancied. She turned in her seat and winked at Lily who just smiled back.

"We'll be working on more complicated non-verbal spells today. We've already covered levitation and the other basic spells. Now we're moving on to- Yes, Mr. Pettigrew?" Professor Flitwick began.

"Mr. Black isn't feeling well," Lily turned to look at Sirius, who had his head down on his desk and was coughing. However, she caught the expressionless look on Remus' face, which ruined their whole scheme. If he really was sick, Remus would be looking incredibly worried.

"Is that so, Mr. Black?" Sirius looked up and attempted to look pale. Vivi, who had also noticed, figured he was remembering Moaning Myrtle, because he was doing a very good job at it.

"Very well, then. You may go see the nurse," the professor turned back to his class. Sirius stood up and wobbled past Peter before falling into James.

"Professor? I'm not sure he can make it on his own," James stated seriously, supporting his friend's weight.

Flitwick sighed exasperatedly, "Very well, then. You may escort him, Mr. Potter,"

The two boys made their way to the door, concealing grins of triumph before the professor called, as an afterthought, "Oh, and boys?"

James turned to face the teacher again, appearing grave, "Yes, professor?"

"Don't make me regret letting you two go together,"

"Really, professor, do you think so little of us? I'm offended," he feigned hurt, turning away and exiting the room, Sirius in tow.

Lily couldn't believe Professor Flitwick had not seen through their act! After five years, every teacher knew never to let those two be alone together! She had to do something!

"Excuse me, professor?"

"Yes, Ms. Evans?"

"May I please use the restroom?" she asked politely, ignoring Vivi and Alecia's confused gazes.

"Yes, you may. Now class-,' he continued, considerably more annoyed than he had been at the start of class.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, come find me," Lily whispered to the girls.

"Lily, what are you-?"

"No time. Ten minutes," and with that, she grabbed her wand and exited the room.

She peered around the hallway, just in time to catch sight of the tail of a robe darting around the corner. She stalked after it determinedly. She followed a narrow staircase, but upon reaching the top, found herself halfway up another staircase leading a different direction. She looked up and down, but there was no sign of the two mischief makers.

"James Potter, where are you?" she breathed to herself.

"Need something, love?" asked a casual voice from less than a foot behind her.

She spun in surprise, coming face to face with none other than the boy she was looking for. She was startled by his close proximity, her breath catching in her throat. However, his smirk brought her crashing back down to earth.

"Where's Black?" she demanded.

"Hospital Wing," he lied easily.

"James Potter, that's not true, and you and I both know it,"

"Really? I didn't know that I knew that," he said innocently.

"Don't play games with me, or I'll put you in detention,"

"Ooooh I'm so scared. Because I don't have detention until Halloween anyway," he retorted, sneering.

"Potter…," she said threateningly.

"Evans…," he imitated.

"James Potter, if you don't tell me what's going on right now-,"

"You'll hex me? I'd love to see you try. You know the second you do, Emmeline Vance will come strolling around the corner and strip away your badge.

"I saw your little performance in Charms. I know something is up," she narrowed her eyes.

"Really? Then please, enlighten me,"

"I saw the look on Remus' face. He doesn't ever look that way unless you're doing something he doesn't approve of. So don't play dumb,"

"Well, I hate to let you down, love, but I'm afraid you read too much into the situation. Sirius is feeling ill, and is now resting in the Hospital Wing.

"Also, I believe you were excused to use the restroom, which is in the opposite direction of here,"

"Hey! If you were on your way back from the Hospital Wing, how did you run into me here? The Hospital is also in the other direction,"

"Lily, you've known me for six years, I'd think you'd realize that we Marauders have our ways,"

She glared at him, but let it pass, "Alright… but I'm warning you, any funny business at all and I'll know exactly… who… to……. Report," She had turned her gaze to stare out of the window over the lake was shocked to see the entire lake covered in rubber ducks, just like the one she picked up earlier.

"Potter!" the redhead shouted, ripping her eyes away from the scene to rest on the boy who was now nursing an innocent expression.

"Darn, I figured we were at least onto, _James_ Potter being the normal term of reference. Ah well, it's to be expected I suppose. One step forward, three steps back," he said idly.

"What is going on here? What are you planning to do with all those ducks?" she demanded, ignoring his speech.

"What ducks? I see no ducks,"

"This is ridiculous. I'm going to Professor McGonagall, and you're coming with me,"

"Alright, but just out of curiosity, what exactly are you planning on telling her?"

"I'm going to tell her about the ducks,"

"Really? And you expect her to believe your delusional ranting?"

"I am not delusional!"

"I'm sure you're not, love. Those ducks are there, plain as day. Only an idiot would be silly enough to miss them," he drawled sarcastically.

"What are you talking about? They're right… JAMES CHARLES POTTER! What Is Going On Here?! Where are those ducks?!" presently, she had turned her attention back out the window, only to be met with the sight of a duckless lake.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lily. Perhaps I should take you to the Hospital Wing. You're seeing things," he said easily, although he seemed to become slightly anxious.

"I Am NOT!"

"Where are the ducks, Lily?"

"That's what I'm asking _you_!"

"Why are you doing that? How should I know?"

"Potter, you are _really_ trying my patience,"

"Am I? I'm sorry. You know we could always find a broom closet and try something else," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but the air of anxiety was becoming more pronounced.

"No! I'll have you know that if you try anything of the sort, Alecia and Vivi have orders to come find me if I'm not back in…," she consulted her watch, "Two minutes,"

"Is that so?" he asked absently, "How long ago would you say you saw those ducks?"

"Three or four minutes ago, why? You said you didn't see them!"

"I didn't, I was merely inquiring. Delusions usually only last five minutes, so I was wondering how long you would be under this impression," he shammed.

"I'm sure… So are you going to tell me what's going on here, or do I have to go see Professor McGonagall? She's only a short walk away from here,"

"We've already touched down on this point. You have nothing of consequence to tell her,"

"Yes, I do! I-,"

"Look, Lily, as much as I love you, I find it rather impractical to sit here and argue with you over some imaginary ducks. So, rather than argue this point further-," he said rather impatiently, but his face lit up at the sound of intermittent squeaks over a small, rolling, pitter- patter.

"James… James, what is that?" she spun in the direction of the noise.

"Are you scared?" he whispered in her ear, amusedly.

"No! Merely… curious,"

"Sure, sure,"

"So what is it?"

"You'll see," his expression was one of excitement.

Just then she heard a scream emitting itself from the charms classroom, shortly followed by a collection of shouts and shrieks.

Alarmed, Lily demanded, "What did you do?!"

"You'll see… It's coming our way,"

Nervous now, Lily waited, unconsciously cringing into the wall, which happened to be where James was located. He seemed to notice this, and carefully wrapped his arm around her, but, thankfully, she seemed too edgy to notice.

Seconds later, she saw a small rubber duck hop up the last step. This duck, however had glowing red eyes, and an evil grin plastered on its beak. The redhead let out a startled shriek. The toy was soon joined by several others, looking just as sinister. They didn't stop though. They continued hopping on as if the two didn't exist.

"James… what's going on?" she whispered shakily, as though the ducks would hear her and begin to attack.

"I can't really tell you that, or it would ruin the surprise," he whispered back. Lily suddenly seemed to notice the position they were in, and quickly put some distance in between them.

"Come on," he said, grinning, "Let's head down to the Entrance Hall. That's where the best view will be,"

"View of what?" wondered the girl as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the stairs, dodging the ducks.

He dragged her across the Transfiguration Courtyard, through the corridors, and down the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. The ducks here had stopped moving, and were just sitting around sporadically, looking menacing.

James stopped at the top of the stairs leading to the Hall and just watched the toys. Lily stood next to James for a moment, just surveying the scene and listening to the shrill cried of students echoing all around the school. It was chaos. She saw some pupils run out into the Entrance Hall from the dungeons, and James' smirk intensified. They were Slytherins.

"What are we doing?" Lily questioned.

"Just wait…," he replied, not looking at her.

They did not have to wait long. Not more than a second later, the ducks eyes returned to their normal color. The cries from around the school silenced for a moment. Everyone was surveying the ducks with apprehension.

"Ah… now the fun starts," said a voice on Lily's other side. She turned to see Sirius Black standing next to her and watching the scene unfold with a grin, a mirror of James.

Everyone seemed to be beginning to relax. Lily, on the other hand, noticed the boys sneers becoming more pronounced, and watched the toys anxiously.

The next thing she knew, the ducks' leers became toothy grins. They all hopped in synchronicity, and upon landing (there was a resounding _thump_), the chicken dance could be heard throughout the castle, coming from an unseen source. The toys began to flap their wings, snap their beaks, and shake their tails along with the music.

A few began to hop in their dancing over to the students. One Ravenclaw soon had a circle of ducks around her, still dancing. Lily caught sight of a Slytherin boy who began to imitate the toys, dancing along to the song. Other Slytherin students soon followed suit.

The two boys burst out in hysterical laughter. The Ravenclaw tried to step out of the circle of toys, but the just relocated themselves around her once more, never ceasing their routine. Lily couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

She noticed a Hufflepuff first year racing their way, screaming at the top of his lungs, and a string of ducks in tow. Lily then seemed to regain her composure. She turned on the guffawing boys.

"How could you _do_ such a thing?!" she interrogated.

"Well… I admit, it wasn't easy," James replied, smiling.

"Yeah! Took us what? Three weeks to get all the ducks smuggled in here?" Sirius agreed.

"I can't believe this!" Lily shouted.

"Me either!" they replied, grabbing each other's shoulders for balance as they doubled over with laughs.

"Yeah, I expected at least _one_ complication!" James admitted.

"You two! Come with me!" the redhead demanded, storming off in the direction of the Transfiguration room.

"Aw, come on, Lily. You know you thought it was funny, too! I saw you laughing!" Sirius implored, still beaming as they passed other students in peril. The girl ignored him.

They found Professor McGonagall out in the courtyard looking rather flustered, and trying to vanish the toys. The boys let loose their snickers as the ducks multiplied.

"Professor! I've caught the perpetrators!" Lily exclaimed confidently.

"Ah, Ms. Evans!" the teacher cried, ceasing her attempts and sweeping over to meet her, "Why am I not surprised to see you two here?" She gestured to the two boys, now wearing semi- innocent expressions.

"Go wait for me in my office. I'm going to get the headmaster. I'll be there momentarily," she ordered, passing by them and hurrying towards the Grand Staircase.

"Well, you heard the lady! Get moving!" the redhead commanded, shooing the boys away. They obliged, their smirks returning.

The ducks seemed impervious to any spell or charm, and continued to follow students around for the remainder of the week. The staff managed to release the Slytherins from their befuddlement, but a number of toys chased them around wherever they went, nipping at their heels and quacking loudly.

Classrooms were filled with dancing, biting, and quacking ducks. Teachers became increasingly irritable as they had to shout to make their points heard. After a day of this, classes were cancelled until further notice.

Thankfully, Friday afternoon, the ducks abandoned their subjects and began retreating. They formed a large mass, just as they had arrived in, and hopped out of the school, across the grounds, and into the lake. No one knew exactly what happened to them after that, but no one really cared either.

Dumbledore announced at dinner that night that classes would resume as normal on Monday. Needless to say, the duck prank went down in Hogwarts history, regardless of whether or not it made it into _Hogwarts: A History. _

James and Sirius were given detention every day of the week until Halloween, instead of only on the weekends, but they believed it an affordable price to pay to see the results of their prank. Although Peter only had a small hand in the prank, and Remus had none at all, they were considered guilty by association. They both received detention for two weeks, only on the weekends though.

That Friday, October 21st, other than being the exodus of the ducks, was also the day of the monthly Prefect's meeting. Lily heard Dumbledore's announcement at dinner, then grabbed Remus and heading off to the assigned classroom for the meeting.

"You didn't have anything to do with that ridiculous prank, did you?" she asked the boy as they took their seats and waited on the others. She noted the boy looked rather pale and tired. Also that he needed a shave.

"No. I tried to discourage them from doing it, but you know they are. Once they set their minds to something, there's no stopping them," he replied.

"Don't I know it," she mumbled with a sigh.

The classroom filled up rather quickly and soon the Heads stood up to begin the meeting.

"Hello, everyone! I hope your first month was a good one. We did have a rather chaotic last, week, but we're putting that behind us," announced Davey. Remus shifted guiltily in his seat.

"Is everyone here?" asked Emmeline, "Ugh… we're missing the Slytherin fifth year again. What's his name? I may have to report him,"

"Um… Reginald? Romulus? I don't remember," the head boy replied. Remus perked his head up in interest.

"The name's Regulus. R-e-g-u-l-u-s," drawled a voice from the back of the room. Lily turned in her seat to see the boy from the train plopping down casually in a seat next to Dolohov.

"Oh boy…," breathed Remus darkly as his face lost its remaining color, if that was possible.

"Yes, well…_Regulus_ we do require prefects to attend the meetings and be on time, or else lose their badge," spat Emmeline.

"Yes, anyway. We need to rotate partners…," continued Davey.

°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸

"Sirius' brother? A Prefect?" the redhead wondered aloud as she and Remus made their way back to the Common Room that night, "Do you think Sirius knows?"

"I doubt it. He left before the Hogwarts letters went out, and I doubt he got a letter from his loving mum, even if it was to gloat," he replied, staring straight ahead.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I suppose. I'm sure he'd rather find out from one of us rather than receive a nasty shock in the halls one day,"

"How do you think he'll react?"

"I'm not sure…," he replied slowly.

"What's the story there anyway? Why does he hate his family so much?"

"Lily, I don't have all the answers. If you're that curious, ask Sirius," he said curtly, ending the conversation. Taken aback, Lily didn't speak again until they reached the Common Room.

They entered the room where James, Sirius, and Peter were, of course, copying Remus' essay before detention. Lily imagined the girls were upstairs chatting. She sent her the brunet a meaningful look before head up the stairs to her dorm. Her hand was on the doorknob when the fates decided to turn against her.

"Hey, Evans!" called the bespectacled boy.

"Can I help you, Potter?" she sighed.

"Are you going to the game tomorrow? Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw?"

"Do I ever go to Quidditch games?"

"Well no, but-,"

"There's your answer. Good night, boys," she turned and marched into her dorm, ignoring the boys calls.

"So what's cracking in the prefect world?" Vivi asked casually, hanging upside down off the edge of her bed.

"Cracking?"

"Going on. It's an American term I heard this summer,"

"How did you come to hear an American term this summer?"

"Oh, my sister's supplier is American. That's where the most fluxweed is grown. She likes it for because it 'helps her complexion'. Makes her look like a downright hag if you ask me, though,"

"Oh… wow,"

"But anyway, enough of that. How was the meeting?" Alecia intervened.

"Alright. My new patrolling partner is a Ravenclaw,"

"Matthew?!" the blonde squeaked hopefully.

"No. A Quentin Sikes, I believe is his name," she confirmed, "I doubt a Quidditch captain would have the time to be a prefect,"

"I have to play against him in the match tomorrow…," Vivi groaned.

"So?"

"So! He's chaser, and I'm keeper! I'll have to block his shots! He'll hate me!"

"No, then he'll think you're a good, fair Quidditch player," Alecia countered.

"How would you know?"

"I don't. I just know that if you don't block those shots, there will be many an angry Gryffindor tomorrow night,"

"I'm surprised Fenwick didn't have you practicing into the night tonight," Lily commented.

"Oh, trust me, dear old Benjy tried. If Slytherin hadn't booked the pitch, and half the team wasn't in detention, we would have. The other half reasoned with him, saying it's best to save our energy for the match tomorrow. He saw the light,"

"Are you watching the match tomorrow, Lily?" the dark girl questioned.

"Do I ever? James just asked me, too. I told him no, and I'd hate to let him down,"

"You should really go, Lily," Vivi reasoned.

"And watch you go gaga over what's- his- name? Matthew Whitley? I think not,"

"You never come watch me play, though!" she complained.

"I just don't see why I should. I'll hear all about it later at the party,"

"If there is one…," Alecia countered.

"Oh, there will be," the blonde threatened.

"But we can't know for sure. What if Lily's absence throws off James' game?"

"It hasn't before," Lily argued.

"That you know of. For all you know, you could be the reason he didn't score one goal in the Slytherin match last year. Slytherin!"

"Or it could be because they're all lying, deceiving, cowardly cheaters," muttered Vivi, becoming agitated at the memory.

"Anyway, my point is, you're going,"

"Seconded,"

"Aw! Come on guys! I have homework!"

"What homework! You had your nose glued to the parchment in the Library this afternoon!" the pure-blood argued.

"Well… I have to write a letter to the twins!"

"Oh, stop making excuses, Lily! You're going and that's final. If I have to drag you down to the pitch, I will," the other girl threatened. Lily became a bit frightened. Alecia was never so brutish.

"Fine! I'll go!"

"Yes!" the other two shouted together.

* * *

**_Okidoke, that was interesting, was it not? _**

**_Congrats Everybody, on making it to Christmas Break! I should update once or twice more at least before school starts again in January, so be on the lookout!_**

**_Now, congratulate me! I made it to page 80 in my writing! 80!!! I'm so happy! I'll be more excited when I break 100, so you'll here about it soon. Oh, and so you know- the next few chapters focus on the Sirius/Vivi relationship. And the Quidditch game itself is very short, but the chapter is longer than this one. It's like 10 pages. 1/8 of the story so far lol! Anyway...._**

**_Um, yeah... I have a party today, so i have to clean, but if I can manage, I'll try to write and possible post again, just because I love you and posting gives me a high. lol jk!_**

**_-lotsalove-_**

**_Sincos_**


End file.
